


Dawn

by legallyblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cute Moment, Deathly Hallows, F/M, Memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legallyblack/pseuds/legallyblack
Summary: A short Hermione moment after the battle.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Dawn

_May 2nd, 1998_

_10:04 a.m._

It had been an hour since Hermione had locked herself in the prefect’s bathroom, which miraculously remained untouched by the Battle. 

She had kissed both Harry and Ron on the cheek (Ron’s kiss lasting slightly longer), made sure she wasn’t needed at the moment, then walked into the bathroom she was now sitting in. Ron almost hadn’t let her go, but when he saw the look on her face, he understood. She needed this. What did she need? A bath? Privacy? A hug? A Healer?

She definitely needed a Healer. They all did. But no, as she sat on the edge of the tub, letting her feet slowly sway back and forth in the soapy water, the only thing Hermione truly needed was peace. _It was over._

Her body was wrecked, but so was her mind. In the last 15 hours, she had broken into the most secure bank in the world, jumped off the back of a dragon, seen her friends and classmates after almost a year apart, watched some of them die, destroyed a part of someone’s soul, almost drowned, fought in battle, seen her best friend dead, and so much more.

Her entire role in this war was due to that fateful day in the bathroom, with the troll. She smiled as she remembered what Ron had said that had sent her crying to the bathroom all those years ago anyway.

_“She’s a nightmare, honestly!”_

Hermione laughed quietly. Well, Ronald Weasley, you kissed this nightmare. 

Her reminiscing was swiftly replaced with guilt. They had kissed in the middle of a war. They had taken time to have their dramatic slow burn moment while people were dying. 

And she remembered seeing Lavender’s face, hearing her scream as Greyback bit into her. 

Lupin and Tonks, who looked as though they could be sleeping, but would never see their infant son again.

Fred, who died laughing, and who’s twin would likely never laugh again.

Mad eye, whose body was never recovered. 

Dumbledore, whose half moon spectacles still remained on his face as he lay dead under the astronomy tower. 

Sirius, who never got to see his godson defeat Voldemort.

Cedric, who just wanted to make his father proud.

Dobby, who just wanted to be free.

Her parents, who didn’t know she existed, and whom she didn’t know were even alive.

  
  


Hermione sat frozen, staring at the dozens of jeweled bath handles, suddenly hating herself for allowing even an hour of relaxation. There was so much that needed to be done. Tears clouded her eyes as she sat. At that moment the door creaked open and a student, presumably 14-15 years old, peeked their head in, probably wanting the same thing, a bath, peace, who knew. Hermione panicked for a second, realizing all too late that her wand was stowed in her now tattered jean jacket, which lay feet away, where she had kicked it off after arriving. When she saw who it was, she suddenly felt an irrational anger. Hadn’t she stressed enough for one night? For one year? For one youth? 

“Get out.”

“But I just wanted to-”

**“GET OUT!”**

She found herself screaming before she could stop herself. The words ripped from her throat, which was already sore from hours of yelling and fighting. The student looked just as shocked as she did. The infamous goody two shoes Granger was losing control. She immediately felt sorry. “Wait, I’m sorry, I just-” but the student had already walked out, slamming the door behind them.

Hermione stared at the door, feeling worse than ever. Since when did she yell at people, especially _kids_ who had just fought in a battle? She heard the door open once more, and she held her breath, hoping to apologize to the student. But it wasn’t them, it was Ron, running in with a very panicked look on his face. He stopped once he saw her just sitting there.

He walked over tentatively to where she sat. Without a word, he perched himself on marble tile. 

“I heard you screaming. What happened?”

“What _hasn’t_ happened?” She mumbled under her breath. He sighed and kicked off his boots, setting them next to her jacket. They were silent for a moment, and Hermione thought briefly that he might have fallen asleep, something she desperately wished she could do. He suddenly cleared his throat and said “They’re burying Fred on Wednesday. Lupin and Tonks on Thursday.” Her breath hitched. She looked up at him, unable to read his tone. “I’m so sorry”, she whispered, not for the first time that morning.

He looked down at her and smiled sadly. “It’s ok. It’s over now, that’s what matters. We’ll miss Fred, but I don’t know, part of me feels as though this was meant to happen. The odds of all 9 of us coming out alive were zero. But, but why did it have to be one of the bloody twins? That’s some cruel shit right there. George locked himself in the dorms around the time you left. Percy’s been trying to get him to come out, but-” He chuckled darkly. “Ironic, really. The twins gave Perce the most crap when he joined the ministry. Mainly Fred, but George was always there to back him up.” He stopped, tears building up in his eyes. “I-I’m sorry, this is stupid.” But Hermione just wrapped her arms around him as he cried for the first time since Fred’s death. They sat there, like that, for what seemed like hours. 

What was really only a few minutes later, Hermione pulled away. “Where’s Harry?” Ron looked guilty. “I honestly don’t know. After we came back from Dumbledore’s office and talked to Kingsley, he said he needed to go do something and walked away. It was either look for you or look for Harry, and honestly Harry had made it pretty clear that he didn’t want company.” 

Hermione sat up. “You were looking for me for an hour?” He nodded. “I didn’t want to be separated from everyone so soon after the battle, especially not- you.” Hermione smiled at him. He looked like a mess, but then again, she probably did too. As if reading her thoughts , Ron ran his hands through her hair, laughing as he did so. “I think it might finally be time for you to cut your hair short, Mione. Half of this is singed.” 

“Might as well. It’s been nothing but a bother for years.” 

Ron laughed. “Well, I like it. Always have.” Her heart swelled. “What about the time you called me a bushy haired know it all?”

“Well to be fair, both of those statements are true.”

“Hey, take that back!”

Ron laughed as he avoided her half attempt to hit him on the arm. Pulling her into a hug, and inhaled deeply. “Despite the fact that it now smells like ashes, I love the way your hair usually smells. And I love how big it is.”

“And what about the know it all part?” She mumbled, her face pushed into his shirt.

“It’s what I love best about you. Let’s talk about me now. What do you love about me?”

He said it as a joke, but Hermione answered anyway. “You. I love you.” He looked taken aback. Her heart sank. Did she read too much into the kiss? Was it just an excuse to feel normal during the battle? She was about to start the damage control when he kissed her again. It was so fast she may have missed it while freaking out. When he pulled away he gave her his famous lopsided grin. “Love you too. Always have.” They stayed that way for a few more minutes, enjoying the company of each other. Then, she checked her watch. _11:13._ The guilt she had been feeling earlier came back full speed. Here they were, all cozy, while for the past 2 hours the castle had been building back up.

Ron seemed to sense her discomfort, because he patted her on the shoulder and stood up. “Come on, they’ll be looking for us.” Hermione nodded and stood up next to him. She eyed her jacket on the ground, and decided that it was beyond repair. They all needed new clothes, but she figured that was the least of their concerns at the moment. 

She looked back up to where Ron was standing by the door, arm outstretched.

She smiled and grabbed his hand.


End file.
